Elder McConkie - Last Conference Talk April Gen. Conf. of 1985

In April Conference of 1985 Elder Bruce McConkie gave one of the most powerful testimonies of the Savior ever uttered.

In April Conference of 1985 Elder Bruce McConkie gave one of the most powerful testimonies of the Savior ever uttered

I really did not catch this prophecy he spoke until I listen again this time
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And now as pertaining to this perfect Atonement, I testify that it took place at Gethsemane and at Golgotha. And as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify tha pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God who was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King.
This I know of myself independent of any other person.
I am one of his Witnesses.
And in the coming day I will feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.
But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God's almighty Son and he is our Savior and Redeemer and that Salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.
God grant that all of us will walk in the light, as God our Father is in the light so that according to his promises the blood of Jesus Christ his son will cleanse us from all sin. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Amen."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie died thirteen days after giving this testimony.

Where is this man’s personal testimony?

“We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony” ... means that we overcome the World, the Flesh and the Devil by being saved and sanctified by Christ’s once and final sacrifice on the Cross for all of mankind’s sins and THEN we tell how His sacrifice works through our personal lives.

Where is the personal testimony of this man who died in 1985? How could he possibly testify (or witness) what happened to Christ 2000 years ago? How did the Blood of the Lamb make him born again and renewed, so that the “old man of sin” passed away? That’s what people who don’t know Christ want, and need, to hear... our own life story of how we met the Lord and how He transformed us.

The Lord God gave us the Synoptic Gospels as all the first-hand evidence needed of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. The sealed canon of Scripture (with curses to anyone who would dare add anything to this — from Moses to Paul to John) itself testifies to the truth of who Jesus was. All we can do as modern Christians is “testify” as to how Jesus’ blood made our lives anew. That is how we overcome the world — by telling of how He worked and is working in our personal life.

So, where is the personal testimony of this man’s modern day life in the Lord? How did God change Elder McConkie from a pitiful sinner to one of His own?

For example, the Saul into Paul story is a “testimony” of St. Paul. Every believer has a beautiful testimony of how they came to know the Lord, but there is nothing personal in this magical recounting of Christ’s Passion.

I don’t know what concordance you are reading, but this is not a Christian “testimony”. Is that meditative enough? I meditated upon what he wrote and — it failed the Biblical test for being a believer’s Christian testimony.

Sister McConkie’s story:

“In Relief Society today our closing song was ‘I Believe in Christ.’ Then, as we began our Fast and Testimony meeting, our opening song was ‘I Believe in Christ.’ This co-incidence made me think that perhaps it’s time I share with you how we got this hymn.

“Some 15 years ago, my husband Bruce R. McConkie was very ill. The doctor told us he had two months to live, at the most. However, Bruce felt he still had some things he wanted to do. The Brethren gave him a blessing and his family gathered to share their faith and prayers. He lived an additional fourteen months, although he was very ill much of that time. He never thought he wasn’t going to get better. He told me time and time again that this was the Lord’s test for him, and that he had enough faith in and of himself to be healed.

“Early in February, on an overcast day much like today, I decided to make a pie to cheer him up, as he loved pie. While I was doing this he lay on the floor in our bedroom, which he often did. He had a pencil and paper in hand and was writing. Then he came into the kitchen where I was working and said, ‘Do you want to hear what I’m going to talk about in Conference?’

“The pie was almost finished and I wanted to get it in the oven, but I soon realized that you don’t make pies while he’s talking like this. So I stopped and sat down to listen. He read to me his talk, and I said, ‘It’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever written, but how will you ever do it?’ He was so ill and so weak. ‘I don’t know,’ he answered, ‘but I will.’

“His doctor was so worried. ‘You’ve got a dying man on your hands; you must not let him speak at conference. If he tries, he will collapse on nationwide television.’ But I couldn’t try to stop him. He was determined to do it and nothing could have stopped him. Our son said, ‘I don’t think there’s anything Dad wanted to do more than preach that last sermon at Conference.’ So our children fasted together, asking that their father would have the physical and emotional strength to fulfill his wish.

“During the Saturday morning session of April 1985 General Conference, a thin Bruce R. McConkie took his place at the pulpit and despite his weakened condition, he bore majestic testimony to the truths so integral to his life and mission. He testified, ‘I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.’ (Excerpted from his Conference address)

“The following Sunday Elder Packer visited him at home and gave him a blessing in which he told Bruce he should ‘quit resisting the will of the Lord.’ We both knew what he meant. At the conclusion, with tears running down his face, Bruce looked at me as I stood at the foot of the bed, and said, ‘Amelia, do you know what he just did?’ ‘Yes,’ I answered, ‘he has sealed you unto death.’

“That was so hard on Bruce. He wanted so much to live. But as I showed Elder Packer out, Bruce got up, folded the bedspread as he always did at night, got ready for bed, and got under the covers. Always before he would insist that I make the bed and he would lay on top of it, fully dressed. But this was his way of saying to the Lord, ‘I am bowing to your will.’ He passed away a short time later.”

What a great blessing to have the beautiful hymn, “I Believe In Christ”, taken from his testimony.

As recorded and written by Jane P. Merrill September 6, 1998

I am completely confused by this stuff.

What self denial, what personal sin and overcoming, what sacrifice of the world, flesh and the devil would make Elder C convinced he would “feel His nail marks in his hands”? (There is no biblical reference to this either. Actually never heard anything like that being mentioned. When Paul wrote "we are crucified daily" that is about it.. but it pertains to our life on earth of "dying to ourselves". )

What personal "sin-overcomings" had Elder C wrestled through with the Lord? Pride? Lust? Avarice? Alcohol? Gossip? Unbelief? Fear? Anger? Where is the evidence of Christ living inside of Elder C and "transforming him unto His likeness" This is missing. Yet, this is why our personal testimonies are so helpful to other people -- they encourage other believers and draw the unbeliever in by the evidence of Christ's love and power to transform our lives.

Every man woman and child on the planet has one major obstacle in getting into heaven: their sin. Think of the classic hymn... "Amazing Grace, to save a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found. Was blind, but now I see."

This hymn alludes to the personal testimony every believer has. Their trials, their testings, their failures, their overcomings, the miracles God did to win them to Him, the grace He showed them in their little lives.

We are all lost sheep without Him. I have no idea what Elder C’s life and trials and tribulations with his sin struggle and overcoming with the Lord were.
All I hear is an nice sounding sort of Biblical statement, declared as if by saying it, some magical power is invoked.

Again, most Christians understand how rough and tumble of a fisherman Peter was before He made him a disciple. It is evident how legalistic the vengeful and murderous Pharisee, Saul was — until he met the Lord on the Damascus Road and became the Apostle Paul.

Indeed, Paul writes later of how some of the Christians in his midst had storied sinful pasts - some alcoholic, some philanderers, some homosexuals, some adulterers, or greedy — but they had been made anew in the power of the Holy Spirit. IF those Christians had told how Christ saved them from sin -- they would be" giving their testimony." (Paul gave King Agrippa his testimony btw.)

The only thing we can testify to -- in a biblical way -- is the miracle, resurrection power of Christ’s redemption in our lives. We serve a fearful awesome and Holy God. So holy that sin cannot be in His presence. In fact, that is the definition of sin -- that which separates us from God. This is why we need to be covered in the blood of the lamb... meaning, "all man's righteousness is as filthy rags" all we have when we do meet Him face to face, is the price He paid in blood for our salvation. (Thanks be to the Lord!)

All of us deserve death for our sin. "There are none righteous" and "God is true and every man a liar". Only by coming to the Lord as a child asking for His forgiveness can we be saved. I don't hear that in Elder C's remarks. I hear pious sounding declarations, but nothing of a man who has an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. (and this is what the unsaved want and need to hear from us -- that we can KNOW Christ and talk to Him, as Adam and Eve once talked things over with God in the garden.)

So, I remain scratching my head as to why you guys think this is a testimony? How was Elder C's faith put to the test? How did the Holy Spirit redeem the “wretch” that was Elder C. before he became an elder?

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